Rogue AB2 vs Reflex Military bench

This is a comparison between the Rogue AB2 bench and the Military bench including pros, cons and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.

Overview and review of the Reflex Olympic Military bench

The Reflex Olympic Military bench comes in at $1.905 and is a great addition to your existing gym to widen the possible exercises you can do. This article was originally published in "Which bench to get to from Rogue".

What else to consider from Rogue

Overview of the Reflex Military bench

The reflex Olympic military bench is a solid bench to securely do your seated military bench presses. This is a big piece of metal which will never break on you. No matter how big your athletes and the weights they will move, the reflex will not go anywhere. If you have problems with shifting benches based on your floor or the sheer size of your athletes than the reflex is the solution. The specifications of the Reflex military bench are:

Combination of 3×3 11ga. & 3/16-walled fully Tubular steel construction.
Powder Coated finish.
Plastic lined weight bar saddles.
Aluminum Spotter Deck.
Adjustable Saddles w/ 11 positions.
Weight storage.
7 position adjustable safeties.
Weight storage.
1in high-density foam pad.
Product weight 155 - 465LB
Length 38”-54.5”
Width 48”
Height 58” - 74.5”

As long as you have the floor space and very big athletes, the Reflex military bench is the right solution for you.

Pros of the Reflex Military bench

With the Reflex bench, you have the same set up for your military press each time you or your athletes step into the machine. With the weight of the machine, your athletes will be secure no matter how big the challenge. This is a great machine for a serious gym that reminds of the golden days of bodybuilding.

Cons of the Reflex Military bench

The Reflex military bench takes up quite a bit of floor space and is pretty limited in its applications. This makes it not an ideal option for home gyms or group class environments with changing demands.

Alternatives to the Reflex Military bench

Alternatives to the Reflex Olympic military bench are

The reflex decline bench tailors to the same idea as the military press machine. The decline bench press is a machine where you would need more security as for a military press. Therefore your money might be placed here unless you have a lot of bodybuilders in your gym or just like big things.

The reflex incline bench press has a fixed bench for incline bench presses. This makes a more secure setup as with a free-standing bench. This comes at a higher cost and a bigger need for floor space.

The Rogue AB3 bench would give you the option to move below $1000 while still being able to move the bench and allow for different setups. This is the only bench from Rogue which can also be used for decline bench presses.

Summary of the Reflex Military bench

The Reflex military bench will help with security and the same set up for military presses. If you want to move big weights on the seated military press this is the machine for you. Especially if you considered the ISO leg press you might want to consider the reflex range to make your budget stretch further.

Overview and review of the Ab2 Adjustable bench

The AB-2 bench comes in at $815 and is a great addition to your existing gym to widen the possible exercises you can do. This article was originally published in "Which bench to get to from Rogue".

What else to consider from Rogue

Overview of the AB2 Adjustable bench

The Rogue AB2 bench comes from the designers of the Nebula 1080 bench which has been on an established reference in the fitness industry. The Ab2 includes 6 different seat settings and nine back positions. This makes it a strong piece of equipment for any home gym which needs versatility and space-efficient setup. The specifications of the Rogue AB2 bench are:

Adapted from the Nebula 1080 "Awesome" Utility Bench
Weight: 94LB
Length: 52"
Pad Width: 12"
Height: 18"
Footprint: 51 1/4" x 22 1/2"
Steel: 2 x 2" and 3 x 3" 11-Gauge Steel
6 Adjustable Seat Settings
9 Adjustable Back Pad Settings (from flat bench to 78 degrees upright)

This is the upmarket version from Rogue if you do not want to do decline bench presses.

Pros of the AB2 Adjustable bench

The AB2 has a pin design which keeps the bench firmly in place. It is heavy duty and well made and gives you more options than the cheaper versions from Rogue.

Cons of the AB2 Adjustable bench

$815 can still be a hefty price tag for a bench. As you are not buying any kind of structure with this and probably did not consider yourself that much of a beast to look into the Reflex options, you might as well want to save a little more on the bench itself. This bench has the price of a rack.

Alternatives to the AB2 Adjustable bench

Alternatives to the AB2 are

The AB3 is the weapon of choice if you need a bench that can be moved around and used for incline, decline, and flat bench press setups. It comes in at a slightly higher price tag than the AB2 and makes more sense in my opinion if you are looking for a high-end bench.

The Rogue Adjustable bench 2.0 would probably my personal choice for a bench from Rogue. This is the middle priced bench which covers any need you might have. Production costs are lower compared to the AB2 as not as many holes need to be drilled. It still does the same with fewer options to adjust the bench. To be honest, in practice you will most likely only use one incline, one decline, and the flat position anyway.

The Rogue Flat utility bench would be my tool of choice if I had to equip an entire gym with Rogue benches. They have multiple options for customization and are only a fraction of the cost f the AB2 and AB3. You basically get 4 of these four one AB2.